Tag: USA

I came to America on August 5th, 2013. Right after I finished high school.

What’s the one thing you miss the most in Italy?

I miss the way of life and my family. Even though things are changing, in Italy, people still pay attention to having a balanced life. People still cook with good quality food, they walk a lot, they simply enjoy hanging out in a park or on a bench in the main square. The contact with nature in most of the country is still very important. Moreover, my entire family is still there: my mom, dad, sister, niece, brother, everyone! During holidays and festivities is when I miss them the most, but I also miss even just having a good chat with my sister on a regular day.

What were some challenges, if any, that you faced?

My family’s disapproval. I was in the country completely alone and I was lacking of their support.They were not thrilled of the fact that I was going to leave for the U.S. for an entire year, and when I extended for an additional 12 months they were very upset.

What’s the one thing you like the most about America?

I like the intercultural exchange the most. I love that I can meet people from all over the world, get to know their stories and their culture, and, if I’m lucky, a little bit of their language. I think it makes me richer as a person and teaches me on so many different levels. I also like that, at least in my experience, everyone seems approachable. For example, if you are introduced to a person that has quite an important job or is a “big shot,” and you later send them an email, you have pretty good chances that they answer. It does not really work like that in Italy.

What do you dislike the most about America?

I don’t like the falsity with which people tell you, you have all the opportunities in front of you. I have been looking, and it has not been easy, especially for an immigrant, to see all the opportunities they are talking about. The American dream is just a dream, unless you have a couple of degrees, no students loans, and quite some money already. There are opportunities if you are willing to work for free mostly. Sometimes I really understand why people decide to come here illegally or just work under the table. Sometimes it is the only way you can have some of those opportunities.

Due to your situation, if you had the choice, would you rather live in America or Italy?

I think I will want to live in Italy, and this is why I think I am moving back. I just enjoy the lifestyle better there. Also, for me to get another visa or to start the application for the green card costs just way too much money. I do not have the resources now to stay here.

“When? Uh… Lets see… 1980, March 1980 I came to the US [At 20 years old]. Why? To pursue a better future. Like most immigrants do. I came with my whole family, my brothers, my mother, and father. My parents decided to emigrate from Peru to the US.”

What kind of struggles, if any, did you face when you first moved here?

“Language. The language was the main barrier, at the beginning, and uh… it was difficult in the beginning, of course, like for everyone else. To learn English, understand it, and speak it. In Peru they teach you English in the school system, but it was very basic. Like the alphabet and that’s it. So when I came here, I realized that I didn’t know any English. So I took ESL courses, English as a Second Language, for a year and in the meantime I was practically going into college. Luckily for me they took me a year after I came into the US. So I started going to college, NJIT, but I didn’t know a lot of English and It was a little bit of a struggle in the beginning, trying to perform well in engineering and then at the same time struggling with the language. But you manage.”

What do you miss the most about Peru?

“At the beginning it was friends, cousins, but once you get used to living here you make friends and you meet other people. Then that’s it. You don’t really miss it that much. Well, I don’t miss it that much.”

What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned since moving here?

“Well, one thing is for sure. There is no other country like the United States. It’s all up to the individual to get ahead or to stay at the bottom. I stood at the bottom, to be honest, but you fight, you work hard, and you stay focused on what you want to do and where you want to go. And luckily for me, I managed to get ahead. So that’s a big lesson for me, it’s all up to you to get ahead, contrary to other countries where it’s harder.”

Do you keep in touch with your roots? Are there certain things you do, like follow traditions?

“I do keep some tradition, my mother just came back from Peru and she brought some goodies from Peru, which I like, but other than that… I do keep some traditions, in Peru on midnight on New Years, you grab 12 grapes, 1 for every month, and you eat them quick. It’s supposed to be good fortune. All the people run around with a piece of luggage, it’s supposed to bring you luck so you can travel the world. I don’t follow that tradition, I just eat the grapes.”

How would you feel if your son moved to Peru?

“He wouldn’t make it. He could not make it. If he wanted to move, I would feel fine, hey that’s his choice, but I know that he’s too used to the United States. It’s all a matter of adapting. I know some people who come here when they’re older and then they go back. But I’m not like that, I’m too used to the United States, I adapted already. But, you know, it varies.”

So what do you identify yourself as?

“Well… I identify myself as both, to be honest, I like the culture that Peru, that I learned in Peru, a lot of history and I’m proud of that. But at the same time I’m thankful to the United States, because this is where I’m getting my opportunity to get ahead, which I didn’t have in Peru, I mean I was going to college in Peru, don’t take me wrong, but the opportunity to get a job over there are very slim. And back then, you also had terrorism, so it would’ve been a lot harder for me to get to where I am now. So in that sense, I am very thankful to the United States.”

“Well, the reason I came here was because my dad got a job in the US. He actually finished his Ph.D. in India and he couldn’t get a job there so he was able to get one here. I came here when I was 4 so around 1998, I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.”

Was it hard for you to adapt?

“It was a big change and I didn’t know anyone and neither did my family, so it was just us three and I didn’t know how to speak English. It was hard to adapt and since you don’t go to school here until you’re about 5 years old, so I had a year here where I would just watch TV and that’s technically how I learned to speak English. Other than that, I had a few friends that would live in the same building as me in the apartment, but other than that I didn’t really know anybody, so the first year was hard, just getting used to the weather, the people, and the culture.

What do you like most about America?

“The opportunities, like you can do whatever you want to do. Like if you want to be a pilot or you want to be the president of the United States [you are only eligible if you’re a natural born citizen — I explained this to him after the interview], like if you work for it there’s no dreams that can’t go without being validate. Um… The girls are hot [laughs]…. I don’t know the people are just more lively and more friendly, they’re more open, so it’s more of a fun environment and it’s not stressful. The weather is also nice, it’s not humid or hot.”

What don’t you like about living in America?

“What don’t I like? Um… taxes. Cause in India you can like not do your taxes and still get by, but here there’s so many rules and regulations cause you have to follow. There’s not much that I hate about the US.”

Since you came here at a very young age, do you feel like a foreigner whenever you visit your home country?

“I do, just because I don’t personally remember too many occurrences of like — I have a few memories here and there of my childhood, but like I always considered the US home cause I was raised here. So all of my childhood memories, teenage memories, adult memories are pretty much in the US. So I always considered it home, the US is always going to be my primary home.”

I haven’t been posting as often these past few weeks because I had to prepare for my trip to D.C.! I’m in Maryland, camping, with my boyfriend; and we’re about 20 to 30 minutes away from Washington D.C.’s mall (so convenient). Yesterday, we went to see the Capitol Building and it looked amazing!

It’s nice to see people who appreciate what this country has.

Traveling; no matter how far; is a great feeling. Even though we only spent a day in D.C., I feel so much more alive because I got to experience something. I got to see something I had never seen before!

Another thing I like about Washington D.C., so far, is that there is so much history!

Tomorrow we’re planning to visit the Holocaust Museum and the Lincoln Memorial. So I’ll have pictures posted soon!